Dead Man Falling
by ChalakChalak
Summary: He had never been afraid of flying. He was terrified of falling. Sad story dunno why I wrote it.


Don't try to make sense out of it. I was bored and I wrote this in like ten minutes.

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Robin had never been afraid of flying.

The feeling of flying through the air was something he had always had in his life. To be able to soar through the skies as if he had been born with wings was second nature to him. He had been born to travel through the wind; there was no other human who could say they belonged there. Yes, he was aided by his grappling hook or perhaps Starfire caught him mid-jump but even left to his own resources, he was never afraid to jump into the oblivion. At least not in real life. When the dreams came, he would never consider jumping.

He was born a trapeze artist. His first memory was that of a trapeze held in his small, chubby hands and swinging back and forth on a special trapeze made just for him. It was not high enough to be dangerous but since he was only five, falling could have caused some injuries. He never cared about that, though. He willingly threw himself into the air, his hands reaching until the feel of the cool metal in his hands let him know he would not be falling. Like a monkey, he would swing and laugh loudly, his voice echoing throughout the small circus tent. The others would smile and laugh back; his laughter was infectious. The clowns, who were usually reserved for some reason, would chuckle at the sight of this small boy swinging around without fear.

They all knew him to be a trapeze artist. He had learned to be fearless of heights, of danger, of falling---even after he was older. His parents would wonder about the child they had bought into this world…he had so much energy and spirit; they could see great things in stored for him, whether in the circus or not. He possessed a certain quality about him when he swung to and fro init he air. Not even the original Graysons could say they had that gift. A gift he would share with the entire world. Richard, or Robin as his mother used to fondly call him, would be unveiled to the world as a boy wonder on that fateful night.

Robin had never been afraid of flying.

Not even after he witnessed his parents fall to their deaths. The picture was still clear in his mind; how contortioned their bodies were, the awful _crack_ sound their bodies made when they hit the ground, how much blood they had spilled…

No, not even after that---he still wasn't afraid of flying.

He was _terrified_ of falling.

Now, one might ask, if you're afraid of falling, why wouldn't you be afraid of flying? And Robin (as he was known these days; Richard barely existed) would probably give you an 'I dunno' look and a shrug. He didn't have _all_ the answers. But he knew that somewhere in his life, falling would be his demise. He couldn't explain it to you; he just knew. He would die the day he fell.

When the alarm at Titans' Tower began to ring, the Teen Titans, one of the most famous superhero teams known to mankind, leapt into battle. As always, one jumps into t he middle of a never ending battle between the Titans and their arch adversary, Slade. Why he is their arch adversary is easily seen. He is what the Titans have always tried to escape. A parental figure, in the form of a psychopath, yes, but a parental figure nonetheless. He wanted control over them, over their lives, their ideas, and their thoughts. And like always, he was a step or two ahead of Robin.

Robin couldn't tell you what happened even if he tried. There was no point, really, because in the end, he died. All he remembers is her face. A sweet, innocent girl---no, woman. She was a woman. A sweet, innocent woman whom he would have given anything for had looked at him in fear. Her knuckles had turned white as had her face. Her brilliant green eyes were filled with fear as her nimble fingers began to pry themselves from the trembling rocks. She held herself up as long as possible; the damn collar around her neck was suppressing her powers.

She couldn't fly.

And for once, he couldn't fly either.

With baited breath, she saw her fall to the darkness and her face, mangled and body looked at him the same way his mother had looked at him. Her last breath uttered the same words his mother had whispered.

"Richard…"

His name died on her lips as she fell and the sound her body made when she hit the ground rang in everyone's ears. He flew to her, with the help of his trusty grappling hook and he found that even with the death of his first love in the hands of the air and wind around them, he was still not afraid of flying. In fact, he felt refreshed, as if he wanted nothing more than to stay in the air. But no, he landed beside her; her body was a mess. Limbs were sticking out in awkward positions…positions that were not normal for human beings. Her hair became a mangled mess and Robin couldn't figure out whether it was her blood or the color of her hair. Perhaps it was both. She smelled like death already; her clear eyes, always so full of emotion were now empty, like the shell of a hermit who disregards its home after it's done with it.

He loved flying.

He loved flying with her.

But he knew he would die when he fell.

_And he fell hard_.

The sobs coming from the dead man frightened everyone. It was chilly, surreal, like something that you know is wrong and you get that uncomfortable feeling inside of you. His sobs became louder as he handled her broken body. She was destroyed, utterly and completely destroyed but he disregarded it. He held her against his body, unwilling to let go and crying the last tears of a human being. After that, he didn't know what he became. It was a creepy sight for the Titans to see a dead man crying.

He died falling.


End file.
